WiLL Pacesetter Profile: State Rep. Sarah Edwards

The Vermont delegation at the 2011 WiLL/WAND Conference (Pictured from l to r: Rep. Johannah Donovan, Rep. Kathleen Keenan, Sen. Diane Snelling, Rep. Sarah Edwards, and Rep. Suzi Wizowaty)

Representative Sarah Edwards of Brattleboro, has long been one of the most dedicated and respected members of the Vermont Legislature. Since her election in 2002, Representative Edwards has been a champion of renewable energy, exemplified by her co-sponsorship of several transformative energy bills.  Also notable is her service on the Nuclear Legislative Workgroup of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In the Vermont Legislature, Representative Edwards serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, the Joint Energy Committee, and the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel.  Edwards is also a passionate advocate for balanced federal spending, job creation, and reducing waste in the military budget. “Redirecting those dollars into education, health, transportation and infrastructure can provide the jobs and services that are desperately needed in communities across Vermont and America,” Edwards said. Representative Edwards was one of 10 outstanding legislators from around the country who was honored as a 2011 WiLL Pacesetter at the WiLL/WAND National Women’s Leadership Conference, “Women at the Table of Power,” in recognition of her dedicated service and excellent example.

Outside of the legislature, Representative Edwards is the executive director of the Lighthouse Reef Conservation Institute, an NGO whose purpose it is to investigate and monitor the relationship between commerce, conservation and community in an ecologically sensitive, economically important and scientifically significant ecosystem known as the Lighthouse Reef atoll.  She also serves on a number of local boards and committees.

Representative Edwards will no doubt continue to be an advocate for her community and Vermont and a force to be reckoned with in the 2012 session!